Overhead electric carrier.



No. 761,875. PATENTED JUNE 7, 1904 v c, M. CLARK. OVERHEAD ELECTRIC CARRIER.

APPLIOATION rum) NOV. 24, 1902.

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Tu: NORRIS PETERS ca. PNoYouTggo" WASHINGTON u c No. 761,875 PATENTED JUNE 7, 1904.

- G. M. CLARK.

OVERHEAD ELECTRIC CARRIER.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 24. 1902. N0 MODEL.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z- Patented. June '7, 190

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES-M.- CLARK, or SOUTH ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

OVERHEAD ELECTRIC CARRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 761,875, dated. 3 7, 1904.

Application filed November 24:, 1902. Serial No. 132,559. (No model.) 7

To a. whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES M. CLARK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of South Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Overhead Electric Carriers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to overhead carriers or telphers, and has for its object to provide for the automatic dumping of the bucket supported by the carrier at predetermined points and for the automatic reversal. of the motor at the same time, 'wherebythe instant the load is dumped the motor will start on its return to the starting-place.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a general view showing my invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are-diagrams showing the relation of the reversing-switch to the motors.

A represents a telpher, which may be of any well-known construction, the telpher being provided with motors B and C, which receive current by means of the trolley D from the main wire E.

F represents the rail on which the motor travels.

Gr represents a hoisting device of any welh known type.

H represents the spreader of the hoisting device, to which is attached the bucket I by means of a bail J, the bail being pivoted to the bucket at a point K, which is so placed that the tendency of the bucket will be to tip to the right. The bucket is normally held in an upright position by means of a pivoted lever L, one end of which has a catch or hook M engaging with a lug N on the bucket. The opposite end of the lever is provided with a weight 0, heavy enough to normally cause that end of the lever to descend, disengaging the catch M from the lug .N were that not prevented.

In order to prevent the dumping of the bucket during transport, I provide a rod P, which has at the bottom a catch or hook Q,

engaging with the lever L. This rod P may be supported in any suitable way. I have shown it running through a guide R, attached pieces 6 6 to the bail J. -To the upper end of the rod P. is attached a chain or cord S, the chain being connected to a sliding piece T, which slides in the guide U. The parts are so proportioned that when this sliding piece T is raised the chain becomes taut, and so long as the piece T remains raisedit will hold the hook Q in the position to maintain the lever L so that the parts are in the relative position shown in the figure. Above the piece T is a spring V,-the normal tendency ofwhich is to depress said piece. The piece is held in the position shown in the drawings by means of a pivoted latch W, which has at its lower end. a catch or projection X, which engages under a rib or projection Y on the piece T. I, provide on the spreader an electromagnet a in such position that when the said electromagnet becomes energizedit will attract the pivoted latch W, drawing the same to the 7 right, and thus release the sliding piece T, allowing the same to drop and the bucket therefore to discharge its contents.

On the telpher is carried a reversing-switch b, which engages with contacts a 0 (Z d, these contacts being so arranged that when the switch is in the position shown in full lines in the figure the telpher will travel ahead; but if the switch be moved to the position shown by the dotted lines the motor will be reversed and travel backward. This reversing-switch and its connections is shown in Figs. 2 and 3. In Fig. 3 the switch is shown in position to carry the telpher-motor to the left looking at Fig. 1. The switch proper is of'the usual type, consisting of a disk Z), having contact- From the trolley D the circuit is established through the motors as follows, (see Fig. 2:) from trolley D through wire 0 to brush d, to contact-piece If, to brush 6, 9

tions are, as shown and described for Fig. 2, against the force of the spring 0 by means of a pivoted latch f, which engages with the end of the switch, as clearly shown. The telpher also carries an electromagnet g, so placed that when energized it will draw the pivoted latch f to the left, and thus release the switch I), which will be drawn down by the spring a into the position shown in dotted lines, thus reversing the motor.

The object, as stated, is to carry the material from a given point and automatically to dump or discharge it at a given point. I will now describe the electrical connections by which this may be effected.

72 represents a switch at the main station, this switch receiving a current from any suitable source. Above the switch are a number of contact-points ,7' y" To each of these contact-points is attached the wire 71? 71 if of a conductor. These conductors run to contactplates Z Z Z These contact points, wires, and plates may be, of course, in any desired number. Attached to the trolley-pole is a wipingplate m, so placed as to come in contact with the platesZ Z Z as the motor travels along. From this plate m runs a wire a to one end of the electromagnet 9, around which it passes and goes from thence to a contact-piece p, which, as shown in the drawings, is in contact with another such )iece 2 on the s )reader.

From the contact 1) a wire 7 runs to one end of the electric magnet at, around. which it passes, and thence to the contact 31 on the other side of the spreader,which is in contact with a second piece 19 of a like character supported from the hoisting device. From this last-mentioned contact a wire o runs either to the ground or to the rail on which the telpher runs, so as to complete the circuit. The circuit may, however, be completed in any convenient way.

The object of the arrangement of the contact-pieces 1) 1) p 1) is because in the usual operation of the device the bucket is lowered to receive its load and it is desirable when the bucket is in that position to avoid the danger of its being dumped by the completion of the circuit and, what is more important, to avoid hanging wires or cords. When the telpher travels along, carrying its load to the predetermined place, the bucket is hoisted, and in this position the contact-pieces p come in engagement with the pieces 7) 1) thus making the complete circuit heretofore described. It

will be understood that the circuit heretofore described is separate and distinct and has nothing to do with the circuit operating the telpher or operating the hoisting device.

The operation of the device is as follows: Let us suppose that we are carrying coal from the source of supply, the same to be dumped in different bins. Above each bin will be located one of the contact-plates Suppose in this instance that it is desired to dump the coal into the bin below the contact-plate Z The switch h is thrown so that it bears on the contact-piece The telpher will therefore travel along until the plate 1/1 on its trolley-pole comes in contact with the connecting-plate The current passes through the switch 71/, wire Z2 plates and 11/, wire 11, to and around the electromagnet g, which being energized by the current draws back the pivoted lever f, allowing the reversing-switch to assume the position shown in the dotted lines, thus reversing the motor. At the same instant, however, the current passing from the electromagnet to the contact j), through that and contact p and wire (1 to and around the electromagnet (1/, energizes that magnet, drawing back the pivoted latch which releases the piece T, which is forced down by the spring V, thus slackening the chain and allowing the bucket to dump, as heretofore described. vlt will be seen, therefore, that by the simple movement of the switch it the telpher will be caused to stop and reverse at any given point, while at the same time the load carried by the bucket is automatically dumped, after which the telpher will return automatically to the loading-station.

Many variations of kind and arrangements of parts may be made without altering the invcntionas, for instance, the electromagnets might be placed in parallel instead of in series.

\Vhat 1 claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an overhead electric carrier, the combinationofan electricmotor,adumping-bucl et attached thereto, means for reversing the motor and releasing the bucket, and electrical connections whereby the motor may be reversed and the bucket dumped at any predetermined point, substantially as described.

2. In an overhead electric carrier, the combination of a switch for reversing the motor and connections under control of the operator at the starting-s tation whereby the said switch may be operated at any predeterminml point, substantially as described.

3. The combination of an overhead electric carrier, a dumping-bucket carried thereby, means for releasing said bucket, and electrical connections for operating said means at predetermined points, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the city, county, and State of New York, this 13th day of November, 1902.

CHARLES M. CLARK.

In presence of T. B. PECK, Jr., JOHN J. RANAGAN. 

